< PreviousSocial Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Life is Delicious! NAOMI D’SOUZA @naomi_dsouza FOOD AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER The bubbly food and lifestyle blogger has had a phenomenal 2019 – a million views clocked up on her website, two TEDx talks, two podcasts, the launch of her YouTube channel, a new job, a lead on a TV show on Star World and a shoot for Masterchef with Matt Preston. She also appeared in the IBM Global website representing #WomenInTech in MEA, became the brand ambassador for ClassPass and made some content that she really believed in and was passionate about. UAE-born and raised Naomi, a qualified mechanical engineer and digital strategist, isn’t one for meticulous planning, because as she says, very rarely do things go exactly as planned. Instead, she has a broad idea of goals she wants to accomplish and goes on to make the best use of every opportunity. Her inspiration is beauty entrepreneur Huda Kattan who started in Dubai from scratch and built her brand in just under five years. An influencer who is deeply conscious of what the role entails, Naomi considers it her responsibility to make the best use of social media platforms to spread as much positivity, happiness and information as possible. Her followers now look upto her as a role model. And her own role model is her mother – whom she credits with pushing her to be the best version of herself, understanding the importance of hard work and most importantly, multitasking from a very young age. Naomi has several exciting projects lined up for 2020 - developing her YouTube channel, working on website content that she is incredibly passionate about and finding new ways to give back to her Instagram followers. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: AASIYA JAGADEESH; LOCATION: TANIA’S TEAHOUSE MASALA! 91 Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Beauty Redefined ROSEMIN MADHAVJI @roseminsworld DIGITAL INFLUENCER, LUXURY BRANDS AMBASSADOR If style, elegance, sophistication and intelligence together needed a synonym, it would probably be ‘Rosemin’. One of the region’s most admired luxury fashion and beauty brand ambassadors, Rosemin is also a host, emcee, consultant, entrepreneur and now, digital influencer. As founder of RR&Co., Rosemin has guided leading luxury fashion brands to set up and expand in the region. She has also welcomed fashion giants to the region such as Silvia Fendi, Tom Ford, Cara Ross and Christian Louboutin, both as an ambassador and a consultant. Over the years, Rosemin has made a name for herself a popular presenter, host and moderator for TV and live events related to fashion and beauty. The Grazia Awards, Fashion Forward talks, Harper’s Bazaar House of Bazaar, “Fashion Thursdays” segment on the lifestyle show Studio One on Dubai One TV and Aga Khan architectural awards are just a few of the famous events and shows she has hosted. In 2019, she launched her latest weekly show ‘Style Council’ for GQ Middle East. Rosemin has been a muse to several designers: Christian Louboutin’s The Rosemin Shoe, Amanda Navai’s The Rosemin Bag, Bionda Castana’s The Rosemin Sandals, Loiél’s The Rosemin Blouse and Cacohon Couture’s Rosemin Kaftan all bear witness to her allure. WORDS: LEKHA MENON; PICTURE: SUPPLIED92 MASALA! Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Positively Beautiful RHEA JACOBS @therjacobs INFLUENCER, MODEL AND CONTENT CREATOR The Dubai girl who made big news by being selected as the Marc Jacobs Beauty Ambassador from over 100,000 participants who had auditioned worldwide, Rhea Jacobs’ gorgeousness is undisputed. It was a surreal experience for Rhea who was flown down to New York to meet the great designer himself and the team. She was announced as the face of the brand after a series of interviews and test shoots, personally reviewed by Marc. Since the results were announced, Rhea’s been featured extensively in fashion publications (Harper’s Bazaar, Grazia) and worked with leading brands (Marc Jacobs, Tiffany & Co, Bloomingdales, L’Oréal, Ralph Lauren, Victoria’s Secret and Faberge to name a few). Over the last few years, Rhea has been advocating a beauty ideal that’s refreshingly unconventional and inclusive, which has been winning her fans on social media. Rhea graduated with a BA in fashion design from Herriot- Watt University in 2016. She ventured into the industry the following month, using the platform to creatively express herself through fashion, beauty and art, pushing forth the need for diversity, inclusivity and embracing individuality. Last year, Rhea was conferred the Cosmopolitan Rising Star award, listed amongst Grazia’s GenZ power list and nominated for Grazia’s Digital Talent of the Year award. An active speaker and champion of inclusion and diversity, Rhea has spoken at several platforms and panels at coveted fashion and beauty events. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: AASIYA JAGADEESH Journey to Fitness ANIKA MORJARIA @literallyanika TRAVEL & FITNESS CONTENT CREATOR AND PERSONAL TRAINER Ever since she was a teen, Anika has had three hobbies that she has now crafted into a successful career: fitness, photography and travel. Born in the UK to Gujarati parents from East Africa, Anika was mostly raised in Dubai. At 18 she left Dubai to study international management and business at the University of Manchester and Ohio State University. With the ambition of becoming a TV presenter, Anika started creating content online to practise being in front of a camera. She was active on digital platforms and brands began to pick her up from an app called Periscope. Ever since, she moved into full time content creation, working with brands in the travel industry to create various campaigns, posting on YouTube and on her Instagram account. Right now, she is fully focused on developing her health and fitness business, wanting to help and change as many lives as possible. Health and fitness has always been her passion. She moved away from travel to focus on personal training, teaming up with trainer Jackson Litchfield to create Evolve Health, to address the gap for quality health and fitness content in the region. The page is chock full of health tips, articles and workout videos to inspire everyone to get fit. As a travel content creator, Anika has worked on some fab brands: GoPro, Tourism Board of Thailand and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines where she travelled all over the world aboard their cruise liners. One of her photographs was on a giant billboard at Penn Station, New York. Anika finds her work as a personal trainer rewarding as she witnesses the transformations in people – helping others look better, feel happier, more energetic and driven. Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Star on the Rise JUMANA KHAN @jumana_khan_ INFLUENCER & TIK TOK STAR Jumana grew up in Abu Dhabi, studied in The Model School, Abu Dhabi and is a law graduate from Middlesex University, Dubai. However, she gave up her career in law for blogging and social media. She started her social media career thing in college, just on a lark. She would take pictures of outfits she liked for her blog and it grew organically from there, as she started working with brands. Jumana loves the creative aspects of her job the most – working with different brands and getting to a shoot gives her a high even if it means hectic schedules, early morning calls and sleep deprivation! Of the several campaigns she has done so far as an influencer, Jumana rates her campaign for Dubai Tourism as a bit more special than the rest. It wasn’t long before movies beckoned. She has already acted in two South Indian movies (which are yet to be released) even as her blogging and TikTok posts continues to boost her public profile. Passionate about what she does, Jumana says she figured out her career from realising how happy social media made her. Blessed with supporting family and friends, she is married to another influencer of note, Ajmal Khan. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Fashionable ‘Mode’ JANNAT MIRANDA @jmodeofficial CONTENT CREATOR, INFLUENCER Jannat’s journey as an influencer started in 2010 with a blog she designed whilst in college in London. A fashion aficionado, she was inspired by other talented content creators. She credits her success today to travel and exposure around the world. Raised in Dubai since she was one, Jannat left the city for undergrad studies at London College of Fashion, then did her masters at Polimoda in Florence, Italy. She moved back to Dubai after completing her education. One of the best parts of being an influencer, she says, is being able to explore her creativity and take it to all lengths of innovation. A perfectionist who believes in executing projects, personally overseeing every detail, Jannat loves that her vocation lets her do so, no questions asked. Apart from slaying Instagram, Jannat is also an entrepreneur with JMode, her style consultancy and works in her family business – interior design company Decolab Group. Jannat’s most memorable campaign so far has been the one with her mother and role model Aisha Suresh Miranda, for the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia Best Dressed. She has also shot for Vogue India. Jannat loves creating concepts: whether it’s styling, brand management or creating new looks for brands or individuals, that is one of her biggest passions. And in 2020 she plans to expand her work and travel more with loved ones. WORDS: SHALAKA PARADKAR; PICTURE: SUPPLIED Social Media Stars MOST INFLUENTIAL Picture Perfect REYA MAYUR S @reya_s CONTENT CREATOR AND FOUNDER LES NÉRÉIDES PARIS One of the growing community of Instagram’s content creators – photographers, models, influencers – Reya is at home on the digital platform and is inspired by the warmth and creativity of her peers. The Dubai-born content creator and founder-designer of jewellery brand Les Néréides Paris is in love with the UAE and all the opportunities it offers. Reya cannot imagine living elsewhere. Not only was she born, raised and educated in the UAE, she also met her husband, Mayur, here for the first time. Reya’s role model is Huda Kattan – someone who makes her want to hustle harder. Huda’s commitment to work and family and her ability to make women feel powerful and beautiful at once, is what Reya is in awe of. She also looks up to her father, father-in-law and uncles for “the discipline and respect they have for their work and duties, whilst staying absolutely grounded and humble”. She recalls the time her first Les Néréides boutique was being constructed, they were delayed by a month and it was her first time dealing with contractors who were taking advantage of her inexperience. Her motto in life comes from what her husband told her then: not to take excuses for answers. A perfectionist, Reya now settles for nothing less than the best. ‘Coz she’s worth it! MASALA! Meera Gandhi Masala!Masala!sassalasala!M!’ss &&&&& SOIRÉE 2019SSRÉE 2019SOIRÉE 2019201019 MOST INFLUENTIALINFLUENTIALIANLL Date:Date:December 8December 8rbmbe Venue: V3BK, Level 3, Armani Hotel, Burj KhalBK3, Level 3, Armani Hotel, Burj KhalifaBotni HHoel, e3, Burj KhalifaifYour Take This month we asked our readers... Who is the most influential star of the year? A) Ranveer Singh B) Ayushmann Khurana C)Shahid Kapoor D) Vicky Kaushal Seona Shaji My vote goes to Ayushmann Khurrana. He is not only impressing critics in each film but also the box office and that’s a rare combination. I just love him! Nishitha Rachel I think Ayushmann is definitely the one. I love the way he keeps pushing the boundaries. Of course, Ranveer is great too but this year I feel Ayushmann has been more consistent. Melinda Fernandez Vicky Kaushal is just so hot! He started off as an indie actor but has now started getting lead roles - how many people can boast of that? I adored him in Lust Stories and was very impressed in Uri. William Stanley Ranveer is fabulous as ever and his Gully Boy was out of this world. But if there is one star who stands out for me, it is Shahid Kapoor. He played the most difficult role in Kabir Singh and walked away with all the credit. Amazing! FOR NEXT MONTH’S QUESTION, CHECK OUT MASALA!’S FACEBOOK PAGE AND INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT ITP Media Group PO Box 500024, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 444 3000 www.itp.com CEO Ali Akawi Managing Director Sue Holt Group Publishing Director Anil Bhoyrul EDITORIAL Editor Lekha Menon Digital Editor Mahwash Ajaz ART Group Art Editor Shraddha Dsouza Image Editor Muhammed Akbar CONTRIBUTORS Shalaka Paradkar PHOTOGRAPHY Senior Photographers Efraim Evidor, Adel Rashid Staff Photographers Aasiya Jagadeesh, Fritz Asuro, Ajith Narendra ADVERTISING Senior Sales Manager Sharmine Khan Tel: +971 4 444 3477 Email: sharmine.khan@itp.com MARKETING & CIRCULATION Circulation Manager Vanessa D’Souza Retail Manager Praveen Nair PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION Group Production & Distribution Director Kyle Smith Production Manager Denny Kollannoor Production Coordinator Balasubramanian Tel: +971 4 444 3871 Email: balu.p@itp.com ITP GROUP CEO Ali Akawi CFO Toby Jay Spencer-Davies The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors or omissions contained in this publication, however caused. The opinions and views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged. No part of this publication or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publishers in writing. An exemption is hereby granted for extracts used for the purpose of fair review. Published by ITP Media Group FZ-LLC © 2019EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST. A MEDICLINIC INTERNATIONAL COMPANY www.mediclinic.ae PREPARING FOR PARENTHOOD EVERY YEAR, THOUSANDS OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS CHOOSE MEDICLINIC FOR THEIR PRENATAL CARE AND THE BIRTH OF THEIR BABY. 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